Volvo excavators: the history

Volvo has more than 185 years of technical know-how and over 75 years of excavator experience from developing some of the world’s finest earth moving machines.

With a history that can be traced all the way back to 1832, Volvo is one of the true pioneers of construction equipment. By introduction of world famous innovations such as wheel loaders and articulated haulers, Volvo CE has revolutionized the industry.The history of the Volvo excavators is closely linked to that of the Swedish company Åkermans Gjuteri och Mekaniska Verkstad, founded in 1890. The company started out manufacturing equipment such as pumps and grinders and later moved into construction equipment. Åkermans' first excavator was built in 1939. The 8 tonnes Åkerman 300 wire rope excavator became an instant success and marked the start of the company’s international expansion.

In 1998, Volvo CE expanded its excavator business and established an Asian industrial stronghold through the acquisition of Samsung’s Construction Equipment Division in Korea. Volvo invested heavily into the Korean manufacturing plant in Changwon, incorporating the global Volvo production standards. When the first two Volvo models from this facility – the EC210 and the EC240 – were launched in 1999, the Volvo hallmark concerning quality, safety, productivity and fuel efficiency became apparent immediately.

GLOBAL MILESTONES

1832 Johan Theofron Munktell started his company
1844 Bolinder Brothers started their company
1890 Åkermans started as a company
1927 Volvo was founded
1932 Bolinder’s and Munktell´s companies merged to form AB Bolinder-Munktell (BM)
1939 Åkermans introduced its first excavator
1950 Volvo acquired Bolinder-Munktell
1956 Åkermans specialises in excavators
1966 Åkermans launches hydraulic excavators
1991 Åkermans became a part of Volvo CE
1998 Volvo CE acquired Samsung Construction Equipment 1999 New generation of excavators with Volvo technology launched
2001 B Series excavators launched with Volvo engines
2011 D Series excavators launched with improved fuel efficiency
2014 E Series excavators launched with Stage IV engines